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Biomedical subjects

M Harries

Publications and source records attributed to M Harries.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Changes in the male voice at puberty: vocal fold length and its relationship to the fundamental frequency of the voice.

Ultrasound measurements of the vocal folds were taken for a number of boys passing through puberty. The boys were grouped according to their pubertal stage as defined by Tanner and there was a gradual increase in the length of the vocal folds as puberty progressed. The fundamental frequency of the boys' speaking voice was recorded via laryngography and a good correlation between the length of the vocal folds and the frequency of the voice was seen. The sudden drop in frequency seen between Tanner stages 3 and 4 did not correlate with similar changes in the length of the vocal folds at this time but stroboscopic findings suggest a change in the structure and mass of the vocal folds at this time of maximum frequency change.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Appropriate use of the day care unit for rigid endoscopy of the upper aerodigestive tract.

There is increasing pressure for more day surgery to be undertaken in the health service. In this retrospective study of 325 rigid upper aerodigestive tract endoscopies performed in the Day Care Unit of The Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, London, there were no post-discharge complications and only four patients required admission, none were, in our opinion, the direct result of day case rigid endoscopy. In our unit, the day case rate for microlaryngeal surgery is 44.8%, showing that rates significantly higher than published national rates of 17.1% (1993/1994) are achievable. We conclude that day case microlaryngeal surgery and diagnostic rigid endoscopy of the upper aerodigestive tract is safe if performed by suitably qualified staff in dedicated specialist units with patients selected according to existing day case criteria.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

A retrospective study of the role of the argon laser in the management of epistaxis secondary to hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Epistaxis is a common symptom in patients with hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia. It may vary in severity from infrequent mild bleeds to regular severe bleeding, the latter requiring multiple blood transfusions. Laser, which can be used to coagulate the telangiectasia without destroying the overlying nasal mucosa, would theoretically seem to be the ideal mode of treatment. In this pilot study, an argon laser has been used on nineteen patients with hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia and is shown to be beneficial in patients with mild or moderate epistaxis. Patients with severe epistaxis, or who fail argon laser treatment, are candidates for alternative therapeutic strategies such as a modified Young's procedure.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

IGFBP-1: a metabolic signal associated with exercise-induced amenorrhoea.

Severe exercise in young females is a potent cause of menstrual irregularity, although the exact pathogenesis is currently unknown. We performed a cross-sectional endocrine and metabolic analysis of a group of elite athletes and dancers in order to establish which variable, if any, was specifically associated with changes in menstruation. By using a step-wise discriminant analysis, two independent predictors, elevated serum cortisol and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1) levels, were found to account for the majority (67%) of the variance. IGFBP-1 is a hepatic protein which is acutely and inversely regulated by insulin, and is thought to modulate the peripheral actions of IGF-1. While the change in serum cortisol may reflect activation of central stress pathways, these findings suggest for the first time that there is a second peripheral signal, IGFBP-1, which may relate the availability of metabolic fuels to the control of reproduction.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Menstrual state and exercise as determinants of spinal trabecular bone density in female athletes.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of amenorrhoea and intensive back exercise on the bone mineral density of the lumbar spine in female athletes. DESIGN: Cross sectional study comparing amenorrhoeic with eumenorrhoeic athletes and rowers with non-rowers. SETTING: The British Olympic Medical Centre, Northwick Park Hospital. PATIENTS: 46 Elite female athletes comprising 19 rowers, 18 runners, and nine dancers, of whom 25 were amenorrhoeic and 21 eumenorrhoeic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Trabecular bone mineral density of the lumbar spine measured by computed tomography. RESULTS: Mean trabecular bone mineral density was 42 mg/cm3 (95% confidence interval 22 to 62 mg/cm3) lower in the amenorrhoeic than the eumenorrhoeic athletes; this difference was highly significant (p = 0.0002). Mean trabecular bone mineral density was 21 mg/cm3 (1 to 41 mg/cm3) lower in the non-rowers than the rowers; this was also significant (p = 0.05). There was no interaction between these two effects (p = 0.28). CONCLUSION: The effect of intensive exercise on the lumbar spine partially compensates for the adverse effect of amenorrhoea on spinal trabecular bone density.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Head and neck surgery in the elderly: a maturing problem.

The number of elderly patients requiring oncologic head and neck surgery is increasing as this proportion of the population continues to grow. To establish the specific problems and relative risks, 100 patients, 70 years of age and over have been examined to determine post-operative mortality and morbidity. Results do not show these to be significantly increased in the elderly and support an aggressive approach to head and neck cancer management in these patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Haemodynamic advantage of the Valsalva manoeuvre during heavy resistance training.

A nuclear probe was used to assess beat-to-beat changes in relative cardiac output in eight elite athletes during isometric exercise. Three subjects underwent simultaneous intra-arterial blood pressure recording. Stroke volume fell by 68 +/- 4% during Valsalva's manoeuvre alone, but by 42 +/- 9% with simultaneous isometric handgrip. Blood pressure changes during isometric handgrip were significantly modified by simultaneous Valsalva's manoeuvre. In particular no late strain phase fall or post-strain overshoot in blood pressure was seen, hence there was no baroreceptor-mediated fall in heart rate. Maximum Valsalva's manoeuvres in athletes invoked extreme falls in cardiac output and blood pressure which were attenuated by simultaneous isometric handgrip. The mechanism of this may be twofold: increased venous tone maintains stroke volume; and/or increased arteriolar tone maintains blood pressure.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1988

Specialized face processing and hemispheric asymmetry in man and monkey: evidence from single unit and reaction time studies.

Experimental and clinical studies have generally shown that the neural mechanisms for face processing in man are (1) designed to deal with the configuration of upright faces and (2) located predominantly in the right cerebral hemisphere. Monkeys would seem to process faces in a different manner to humans since they appear to show no hemispheric asymmetry and to treat upright and inverted faces equivalently. We re-examine these claims. Our reaction time studies reveal that monkeys do behave like human subjects since they process facial configuration faster when stimuli are presented upright as compared with horizontal or inverted. Single unit studies in the monkey reveal patches of neurones responsive to faces in the upper bank and fundus of the left superior temporal sulcus (STS). Recording from the right hemisphere also reveals cells responsive to faces but in this hemisphere such cells appear less numerous. These cells process upright faces faster than inverted faces. Face processing in monkeys and man appears to utilize qualitatively similar mechanisms, but the extent and/or direction of cerebral asymmetry in these mechanisms may not be similar.

Adult↗